TOWANDA, Pa. — Kevin and Debbie West are the owners of Woody's Ale House and Grille in Towanda. This weekend the couple is inviting underprivileged children from around Bradford County to the restaurant for a Christmas surprise.
"This Sunday, December 4, we will be providing 25 kids from the county with gifts and a lunch for them and their families," said Debbie West.
Each child will receive a sleigh full of presents.
"We are going to spend around $350 on each kid. Each kid is going to get a sled full of toys and mainly clothes to help them get through the wintertime," said Kevin West.
The gift distribution was once known as Woody's Christmas Giveback. Now, it's called "The Dakota James West Giveback" in honor of Kevin's son, who died last December.
"He was a big jolly kid, Dakota was. He loved Christmas. He would dress up as Santa. He loved giving gifts, he didn't care if he got a gift. He wanted the kids around him to be happy," added Kevin West.
The Wests coordinated with different Bradford County School districts to find kids who are deserving.
"Being in Towanda, I have kind of taken the lead on this and organized the other school districts to participate, and I think that we have almost every school district in Bradford County involved," said Towanda Area School District's Superintendent Dennis Peachey.
Santa and members of the Pennsylvania Police Department will be on hand Sunday to help give away the presents.
"It is a really good opportunity for us to be involved and be able to give back to the area that we serve so often," said Cpl. Terrence Foley of the Pennsylvania State Police.
If you would like to help out with the giveback, donations can be mailed or dropped off at Woody's Ale House and Grille. Donations can also be sent to @Debbie-West-1972 on Venmo.
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